The NDS operates both within the boundaries of Afghanistan and also within foreign nations, and accordingly, is the principal organisation of Afghanistan functioning to obtain intelligence and prosecute individuals found to be guilty of criminal and terrorist activities, and accordingly to protect persons living within Afghanistan from threats to their security (ref. p.1-2). [1]

A spokesperson for the NDS, Lutfullah Mashal, stated the Directorate regularly shares intelligence with Afghan officials of a senior rank, both within the boundaries of Kabul and "especially" with officials within the provinces.[3]

During the 15th of May 2015, a representative of NDS, and a counter-representative of the intelligence agency of Pakistan, ISI, signed an agreement on intelligence sharing and the intention to perform operations complementary to shared objectives. Under the terms of agreement ISI personnel will train NDS operatives and in addition, ISI will also provide equipment to NDS. Together with this, an agreement was formed for co-operation to jointly interrogate detained persons. [8][9][10] Rahmatullah Nabil opposed the agreement.[9]

According to a report by tolo news, using information released by a spokesman for Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, a new head of the NDS would be sworn in on the 1st of February 2015. [12]

Previously, as part of an interview with Speigel published online during August 12, 2008, Saleh stated the agency had provided intelligence to persons within Pakistan on the Taliban. With regards to this intelligence, he had had no indication of a "meaningful response", as a consequence of this intelligence, from forces within Pakistan.[13]

In a report for Guardian News and Media, containing information relevant to the NDS at a time sometime prior to Monday 10 October 2011, a reporter revealed accounts of interrogation techniques using torture of detained persons by a unknown number of employees of NDS. The information was obtained through interviews with 379 randomly selected individuals, of these the report identified instances of torture at five locations (Herat, Kandahar, Khost, Laghman[disambiguation needed], and the Dept. 124 facility [1]) within Afghanistan. [14] Of 324 persons identified as conflict-related detainees, 196 were detained only by the NDS, 69 by NDS and ANP, and 8 by the NDS and the Afghan National Army-ANA. The investigation found evidence of 125 of the 273 persons who had experienced treatment while within detention, which would be classified officially as torture. Of those interviewed, 19 children (i.e. those under the age of 18 years of age) made statements which indicated they had experienced torture by NDS employees while under-going interrogation (ref. p.2, footnote 16). [1]

The UN Arbitrary Detention Verification Campaign was made for the purposes of an impartial investigation of detainees held by certain employees primarily of the NDS and also, with a less-highly prioritized aim, of investigating the ANP, as a consequence of the war within Afghanistan. The NDS co-operated with the officials of the UN in their execution of duty, senior ranked members of the NDS allowed the UNAMA access to almost all detention facilities at the time of the campaign, except for the Kapisa facility and the NDS national detention centre of Counter-Terrorism Dept. 124 (ref. p.iv, & additionally p.2). UN officials were instructed they were not allowed to make photographic or video recordings for obvious reasons of the maintenance of the necessary security protocol. [1]

A Reuters report published June 2012, informed by the chief NDS spokesman Lutfullah Mashal, stated the NDS were attempting the rehabilitation of suicide-bombers who had survived their attempts, by sending those individuals to Kabul to study the Koran and to pray. The detainees were made to exercise and prepare food for other in-mates. Members of the Directorate were also tasked with re-educating and informing those persons of the "darker side" of Taliban doctrine and teachings. [16]

The president of Afghansistan President Hamid Karzai made a decision public at the closure of the tenure of Rahmatullah Nabil during 2012, for a limitation on the service of each head of the NDS in the future of two years only. [17]